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Date: 13 Dec 2006 14:48:39
From: daveblows
Subject: Where I take the time to explain netiquette to the newbies.
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Usenet has always been a self-policing, chaotic forum for exchanges of
information & points of view. Anarchy has pretty much been accepted as the
norm, with flames, threats, & snide reks being as common as threads
actually worth reading. However, cross posting, foul language, attaching
images, & flooding, have always been frowned upon.
The thing that ALWAYS raises the hackles of group regulars is the posting
of self-promoting commercial posts in non-commercial groups. These articles
are distinguishable from posts about bargains & such by the self-promoting
nature of the post.
"Hey, I found a great deal on a 50 pound widget at www.50lbwidget.com/." is
obviously intended to pass along information of possible interest the
group. If it's repeatedly posted it would be considered flooding. "Hey, I
make 50 pound widgets & sell them for $56.95 on my website,
www.50lbwidgets.com/." is a self-promoting commercial post. If it happened
that the author posted this very infrequently there would probably be very
little said about it. But if the author inserted that same off topic
message into new articles & existing threads, there would certainly be
caustic replies.
The long accepted means of including such information is to place it in
your message signature. This enables one to get their self-promoting
information into a thread without causing undue angst. What one should
never do is post an article or reply to one without adding something of
value to the group.
example:
------
OP: "I'm looking for a way to attach a 50 pound widget to the gizmo on my
whatchacallit. Any suggestions?"
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Acceptable reply:
"I've tried it but the thing is too hard to drive a nail into. I've had
some luck attaching it with special glue. Check out my web site for more
info."
--
widget maker
www.50lbwidgets.com
------
Problematic reply:
"No, you can't do it, but I can do it for a fee if you'll ship it to me."
75 50 pound widgets installed
--
widget maker
www.50lbwidgets.com
Note that the first & second reply are basically the same. The first is
intended to share information & oh, by the way - also points out that help
is but a click away. The second offers nothing of help & in fact is nothing
more than an off topic & self-promoting commercial.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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Date: 14 Dec 2006 10:34:14
From: Jack Denver
Subject: Re: Where I take the time to explain netiquette to the newbies.
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Usually, those kind of posts, especially when they come from someone who has
never posted before, are just spam. The reason the person "just found" the
widget sale is because it's on their own website. A long time ago someone
wrote a book on "viral keting" and suggested these kind of postings.
Nowadays they are seen as laughably naive and transparently fake, so they
don't get you any business.
The rest of your essay is spot on, but as you say a waste of time when it
comes to certain people who know better but just don't care.
Although there are no formal "rules" or "charter" for alt.coffee, since the
earliest days of usenet, it was seen as a non-commercial medium and attempts
to commericalize it (unlike the web) have always met with push back. I know
that people mostly report good experiences with making purchases from Mr. B
but I really have to wonder whether it is a good idea to do business with
someone who has such an ornery, obstinate and contrarian nature - at some
point if you get on his "wrong side" will things go sour?
"daveblows" <r_h_harmon@Zhotmail.com > wrote in message
news:Xns989862E53ECF4rhharmonZhotmailcom@66.150.105.47...
>
> "Hey, I found a great deal on a 50 pound widget at www.50lbwidget.com/."
> is
> obviously intended to pass along information of possible interest the
> group.
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Date: 14 Dec 2006 15:42:23
From: daveblows
Subject: Re: Where I take the time to explain netiquette to the newbies.
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"Jack Denver" <nunuvyer@netscape.net > wrote in
news:huidnZkBUclq8xzYnZ2dnUVZ_ue3nZ2d@comcast.com:
snipped
> I know that people mostly report good experiences
> with making purchases from Mr. B but I really have to wonder whether
> it is a good idea to do business with someone who has such an ornery,
> obstinate and contrarian nature - at some point if you get on his
> "wrong side" will things go sour?
>
As a businessman (semi-retired) I wonder why he spends so much time putting
out his negative rhetoric. This is time he could spend more profitably
putting in PID's, if he had the business. Could it be that he has so much
free time because he's driving away potential customers? How rich could the
man get if he just had the people skills so obviously lacking from his
personality? Not that I care how well he does, it's just that if he were
busier with his business he'd be less likely to be so aggravating in this
NG.
Robert (Grow da bidness, dude!) Harmon
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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Date: 13 Dec 2006 12:17:19
From: Robert Harmon
Subject: Re: Where I take the time to explain netiquette to the newbies.
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Oh, I gave up on davey long ago. I posted this in case any of his (very
few) defenders wanted to know why we jump on the boy so bad. In fact
all of the 'defenders' are probably just more of davey's alter egos.
(At least when I use an alternate usenet ID I sign the post.)
Robert (Probably just pissin' into the wind.) Harmon
RoughJaw wrote:
> On Wed, 13 Dec 2006 14:48:39 +0000, daveblows wrote:
>
> > ...
> > Note that the first & second reply are basically the same. The first is
> > intended to share information & oh, by the way - also points out that help
> > is but a click away. The second offers nothing of help & in fact is nothing
> > more than an off topic & self-promoting commercial.
>
> Nice try, but no matter how often it's explained, or by whom, daveb
> chooses to rub everybody's face in the fact that he couldn't care less
> about manners or etiquette.
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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Date: 13 Dec 2006 18:27:06
From: RoughJaw
Subject: Re: Where I take the time to explain netiquette to the newbies.
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On Wed, 13 Dec 2006 14:48:39 +0000, daveblows wrote:
> ...
> Note that the first & second reply are basically the same. The first is
> intended to share information & oh, by the way - also points out that help
> is but a click away. The second offers nothing of help & in fact is nothing
> more than an off topic & self-promoting commercial.
Nice try, but no matter how often it's explained, or by whom, daveb
chooses to rub everybody's face in the fact that he couldn't care less
about manners or etiquette.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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Date: 13 Dec 2006 07:51:26
From: daveb
Subject: Re: harmon's alias
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Just 'ol harmon under another alias.
sad
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Date: 13 Dec 2006 10:29:31
From: notbob
Subject: Re: harmon's alias
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On 2006-12-13, daveb <davebobblane@gmail.com > wrote:
> Just 'ol harmon under another alias.
>
> sad
Sad or not, he's dead on.
nb
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